Promoting EFL learning towards peaceful global citizenship

This paper addresses SDG target 4.7 through the lens of Nancy Fraser’s (2008) conceptualisation of parity-of-participation. Her three-pillar conceptualisation includes the equitable distribution of material wealth, egalitarian status among all people, and equal access to representation. This paper attempts to apply her three pillars of participation to the primary classroom which has rarely been attempted before and never in the context of a middle income country. Drawing on interviews, surveys and drawingswith nearly 400 primary-school children in Egypt, we explore how they perceive participation within their classrooms and how participation may influence learning and future life. We conclude by noting that there is an irony in some children’s responses, whereby they display a strong ambition to speak English well, yet believe that they will learn to speak by being passive and silent in the classroom. Other children, however, critique the status quo and suggest more participatory approaches to learning English that will both improve their English mastery and model parity-of-participation in ways that may support their development into adults who strive to live peacefully together as global citizens

Serum interferon-alpha level in first degree relatives of systemic lupus erythematosus patients: Correlation with autoantibodies titers

Background and objectives: Interferon-a (IFN-a), a cytokine with both antiviral and immune-regulatory functions, was suggested as a useful tool which can evaluate current systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity and identify patients whoare at risk of future disease flares. In the current study, serum IFN-a levels and associated demographic, and serological features in Egyptian SLE patients and their first degree relatives (FDRs) in comparison to unrelated healthy controls (UHCs) were examined, in order to identify individuals at the greatest risk for clinical illness.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, blood samples were drawn from 54 SLE patients, 93 of their FDRs who consented to enroll into the study and 76 UHCs. Measurement of serum IFN-a by a modified ELISA was carried out. Data were analyzed for associations of serum IFN-a levels with autoantibodies titer.Results: Meanserum IFN-a inFDRswas statistically higher than theUHCsand lower than inSLE patients (P < 0.0001) and it was correlated with ANA titer (r = 0.6, P < 0.0001) and anti ds DNA titer (r = 0.62, P < 0.0001).Conclusion: IFN-a is a crucial player in the complicated autoimmune changes that occur in SLE and serum IFN-a can be a useful marker identifying persons who are at risk of future disease development.Keywords: Interferon-a; Systemic lupus erythematosus; First degree relatives; Autoantibodie

‘The teacher who helps children learn best’: affect and authority in the traditional primary classroom

This paper draws on the views of nearly 400 Year 5 pupils across nine classes in three government primary schools in Alexandria, Egypt. It explores how they perceived the role of affect in their classroom; and their teachers’ authority. By presenting pupils with sentences to complete, our research explored how the prevailing traditional approach to teaching influenced pupils in their English classroom. We also collected data by interviewing 38 pupils individually and carrying out Group Interviews with the pupils’ teachers. We concluded that pupils were acutely aware of how their feelings and their relationship to the teacher influenced their capacity to learn cognitively. Many of them said that they did not respect those teachers who refused to exercise an ethic of care in the classroom. In these cases, they did not see their teachers as authoritative; and pupils’ learning was impeded

Helicobacter pylori infection might be responsible for the interconnection between type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroiditis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Higher serological prevalence rates of helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection have been reported in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and autoimmune thyroiditis (AT). Patients with T1DM are at increased risk for developing other autoimmune diseases, most commonly AT. It is unknown whether H. pylori infection could explain the high prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies and AT in T1DM. The aim of the current study was to evaluate anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) autoantibodies in correlation with anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA in young patients with T1DM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Anti-H. Pylori IgG, IgA, anti-TPO and anti-Tg antibodies titers were measured in 162 euthyroid patients with T1DM and 80 healthy controls matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seroprevalence of H. pylori was significantly higher in patients with T1DM than in healthy controls; 79% vs. 51.2%, p < 0.001. Anti H. pylori IgG was positive in 61.1% of patients with T1DM and 30% of controls, p < 0.001, anti H. pylori IgA was positive in 74% of patients with T1DM and 32.5% of controls, p < 0.001. Thyroid autoimmunity was also significantly higher in patients with T1DM than in controls; 56.7% vs. 6.2%, p < 0.001. Anti-TPO was positive in 25.3% of patients with T1DM and 3.7% of controls, p < 0.001, anti-Tg was positive in 47.5% of patients with T1DM and 6.2% of controls, p < 0.001. With simple and multiple regression analysis anti-H. pylori IgG and IgA titers were positively and significantly correlated with Anti-TPO and anti-Tg titers in patients with T1DM.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>our results support the idea of a connection between H. pylori infection and the occurrence of anti-TPO, anti-Tg autoantibodies and AT in young patients with T1DM. So, H. pylori infection could be considered as an environmental trigger for development of AT in T1DM. Young patients with T1DM should be screened for H. pylori infection.</p

Finite element analysis and calculation method of residual flexural capacity of post-fire RC beams

Fire tests and subsequent bending tests of fourreinforced concrete (RC) beamswere performed. Based on these tests, the post-fire performance of RCbeams was further studied using finite element simulation through reasonable selection of suitable thermal and thermodynamic parameters of steel and concrete materials. A thermodynamic model of RC beams with three sides under fire was built using finite element analysis(FEA)software ABAQUS. The FEA model was validated with the results of fire tests. Different factors were taken into account for further parametric studies in fire using the proposed FE model.The results show that the main factors affecting the fire resistance of the beamsare the thickness of the concretecover, reinforcement ratio of longitudinal steel,the fire exposure timeandthe fire exposure sides. Based on the strength reduction formula at high temperature of steel and concrete, animproved section method was proposed to develop a calculation formula to calculate the flexural capacity of RC beams after fire. The theoretical calculation method proposed in this paper shows good agreement with FEA results, which can be used to calculate the flexuralcapacity of RC beams after fire